Page 87 of Nine-Tenths

No, wait.

I'm mad at him.

"Cut that out when I'm pissed off."

Dav noses up into my hair, presses his thumb against the pin hard enough that the backing is a delicious little point of pain in counterpoint to the pleasure of him reacquainting himself with me.

I twist his other nipple.

He yelps and falls back, catching himself on the bookshelves.

"You have to explain."

"Colin." He straightens, rubbing his chest to soothe the bruises. I wonder what they'll look like. Does he get mottled the way a human would or is there too much scale under his skin? "It's not… I just—"

"Nuh-uh. We’re not playing that game this time. Answers. Clear ones. Now. Or I'm leaving. And I'm staying gone."

His face drains of color. "You wouldn't."

"I would." It's not an empty threat, either. I’m fed up.

"You love me," Dav says, confused and small.

"I do."

"So you won't leave."

"I abso-fucking-lutely will," I correct. "BecauseI love you. So let's start with this." I tap the pin. "Why did you leave it with me if you didn't want me to wear it?"

"I didn't," Dav says, but I can't figure out who he's trying to convince. He's twitchy all of a sudden. I slide off his lap to sitcross-legged on the floor in front of him. "It fell off. You picked it up. I didn't… it wasn't…"

"Is that what you've been telling Simcoe? That it 'fell off'?"

His eyes cut away. "Yes?"

Coward, I think.

Then I say it out loud: "Coward."

He snaps his gaze back up to mine, mouth dropping open so prettily that I just have to stick my tongue in it. We lose the thread for a few minutes as I crowd him back against the shelf.

"Tell me," I smear into his mouth, and he pants, and whines, and scrunches up his eyes.

"I didn't give it to you because I wasn't allowed to!" Dav blurts. "And even if I wanted to, to, todoit—"

Do what? Just say it!

"—it was too soon. Months. Years!"

"So it means something? Like,reallymeans something?"

"Yes."

"What?"

He whines again, distressed, and I press my cheek to his chest, wrap my arms around him tight, think calming, weighted-blanket thoughts.

"It means you're mine," Dav says, but it’s not romantic, or heartfelt. "…legally."

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